OPINION
When Prince Harry released a statement this week condemning the British tabloid media of a ruthless campaign against his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, his feelings were clear: “Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people,” he wrote. “We all know this isn’t acceptable at any level. We won’t and can’t believe in a world where there is no accountability for this.”
While the statement—which was made public alongside an announcement that the Duchess of Sussex would be suing the Mail on Sunday over an allegation that it had published a private letter she wrote to her estranged father—has been widely applauded, but some have described it as an “unleashing of pent-up fury”, and raised concerns that it could be counter-productive.
What some commentators might see as releasing “pent-up fury”, I see as a relatively new dad trying to do what he can to support his young family.
Royal commentators questioned the timing of the statement, believing it could be a mis-step. Royal biographer Penny Junor told The Guardian, “People can understand Harry taking issue with someone printing a private letter. But his statement went far beyond that.” The Guardian also reported that commentator Roy Greensdale asked if Harry was “taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut here? I think he may well find that this is counter-productive.”
But what is counter-productive about a new father trying to create a circle of safety and protection around his wife and newborn son? As the Duke of Sussex wrote, the campaign against Meghan (which has often been racially charged,) “has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son.” What some commentators might see as releasing “pent-up fury”, I see as a relatively new dad trying to do what he can to support his young family.
Life with a new baby is raw, it’s emotional, it’s exhausting, and the role of partners is to provide support, to nurture and to protect.
While it is highly unlikely that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in the same newborn fog as most parents - they probably don’t have to deal with a deluge of dirty nappies and uninterrupted sleep - but that doesn’t mean those same urges that we ‘normal folk’ feel aren’t still there.
Life with a new baby is raw, it’s emotional, it’s exhausting, and often by default, a lot of the toll falls onto the birth parent. The role of their partners? To provide support, to nurture and to protect. In those early stages of parenthood, dads (or the non-birth parent) can be unsure of their place, which is usually when they launch into their role of protector. It’s why some birthing classes give dads the mantra of “calm, safe, private.” This is the environment they’re tasked with creating for their partners, which can sometimes means warding off unwanted visitors; or in Harry and Meghan’s case, unwanted media attention.
It’s also not the first time Prince Harry has called out media outlets for over-the-top scrutiny of his wife. He first spoke of concerns for Meghan’s safety in 2016, and three years later he is voicing those same concerns. “My deepest fear is history repeating itself,” he wrote this week. “I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”
When you think of the pressure placed on new parents, not to mention his own personal trauma of losing his mother due to hounding press, is it any wonder ‘Why Prince Harry finally snapped?’.
Caitlin Chang is Editor of SBS Voices. You can follow Caitlin on Twitter at @caitlinchang
